Four more little stinkers!!

The fight with the magnets continues!!!!  Why do I do it, I ask myself?!?!

These four had me giggling as I was placing them on the platen of the scanner.  Why?  Well the little stinkers kept trying and trying to 'get together' with each other!!!

The TIAS does continue to please and frustrate me as I keep re-doing it.  I'm not happy with certain 'parts' so have to do the whole thing over and over again.  Still I guess it keeps me from getting into more mischief!!!!

I did start drawing it up as I think the 'worst bits' are towards the end.  

I'm pleased to report!!!

I'm pleased to tell you all (not that you're interested, perhaps!!!!) but our Royal Fail is now returning to becoming Royal Mail!!!!  

On Wednesday we were 'woken up' (well we were sort of up!) by a tremendous noise of somebody trying to break in.  Well it sounded like that!  Did I ever tell you about the 'incident of the man on the roof''?  Anyway it turned out to be a postman delivering a pile of mail.  Now our normal (that was when things were normal) delivery time varies from half past eleven in the morning til four o'clock in the afternoon so this was a real surprise.

So, being a bear of little brain and a fully paid up member of the skeptics society I thought this was just a 'one off' so I didn't get too excited.  

You could've knocked me down with a feather when another postie arrived yesterday around one o'clock ish to deliver another pile of mail.  I managed to speak to him and he said things were getting back to normal - YIPPPEEEEE.  

Why am I so excited?  Well, I won a lot of beads on Ebay two days ago!!!!  I tend to shop a lot on Ebay (and sell too!) and recently have met some really fantastic people.  These I've met both as a seller (buyer collects just lately) and through the post (magnetsmagnetsmagnets) so it's really great to have our postal service in 'recovery mode' and things being delivered quickly.   The guy that I've been buying magnets from has been soooo friendly and helpful - way beyond the normal seller.  So I leave you as one very happy OG today!!!!!!

Nothing to tease you with - BUT

I left the TIAS alone yesterday evening as I was very fed up with it after Monday's attempt!!!  I was going to start drawing it in the afternoon but somehow that escaped from me too - the afternoon, I mean!!!  I need to start drawing as I have to check those against the text but as I'm still changing the text, well ......................

So instead I did this magnetic bookmark!!!  Just for the thrill of it!!!  Well, not only that but because Lace Lovin' Librarian said she loved blue and I thought 'why not'??!?!!!  This one will go into my Etsy shop at some point - when I get myself organised to take 'proper' pictures of it!!!

Making these are a bit of a nightmare as the wretched magnets keep diving for each other.  I think I just like being annoyed so that's why I keep making them!!!

A trip down the road!

Yesterday morning I did a small Christmas Fair.  It was actually at an old people's place quite close to us (not the one where I teach Silver Surfers).  I was asked sometime ago if I'd like to have a table there to sell my work so I thought 'why not'!!!

To be honest I wasn't particularly happy there as the main tables (the residents had their 'stuff' on them) were one side of the room and I had a very small table opposite them and a fair distance away.  I felt as if I were a leper!!!  They (the residents) sat there and nattered to each other all morning but made very little attempt to speak to me and only one came across the room to see what I was selling.  Still I sat and tatted away and other friends came in from other parts of town to take part in an exercise class so that wasn't too bad.  On the residents selling table one lady was selling handmade Christmas cards but the rest of the stuff was bric a brac.  

I did sell a few things and amazingly two pairs of black very shiny and very pretty earrings.  They've been in my Etsy shop on several occasions but didn't sell.  One lady took a look at them and oooohed and aaaahed over them, snatched them up and bought them!!!  I was actually going to keep these for myself as they are so very pretty but I do have rather a lot of earwigs!!! 

The reason they haven't sold in the shop online?  I think it's a lot to do with the sparkle not showing up so well and waaaaay too many earrings to be bought online.  These are the ones I sold!!!!

Frustration, frustration, frustration!!

Why oh why do I start these things?  I decided a few weeks ago to do the Tat It And See (TIAS) and eventually thought of the first necessity - a design.

Since then I've thought, slept, walked (I do most of my 'designing' in my head and on the hoof) and even dreamed about the 'thing'!!!

I think I'm on about version four now.  I cannot design totally on 'paper' or using a drawing package - I HAVE to tat it.  

So, after version 3 I realised that I could start it in a different place and that would enable me to 'keep the secret' even longer (I HOPE).  That's the fun of being the 'only one' who knows what it is.  For me it's all about the fun of keeping everybody guessing that makes these interim frustrations so worthwhile. 

So, instead of talking (or should that be 'typing') about it I'd better get the fingers back onto the shuttles!!!  Here's a 'sneak preview'!!!!

It occurred to me!!

I was gobsmacked that I could be so stupid as to assume that anybody drifting onto this blog would know what a TIAS was!!!!  So I'll explain.

The TAT IT AND SEE is a pattern which is released in 'bite sized' pieces every few days over the space of a few weeks.  The idea is that the tatter works it without knowing what they're making.  Well, you know it's going to be a surprise but that's all!!!

I normally add any techniques which might be new to new tatters.  I tend to assume that everybody will know how to do a ring, chain, self closing mock ring and a split ring.  Anything else is explained with diagrams.  

As the different parts are worked and (it's not compulsory!) pictures of work in progress are sent to me then I add them to the TIAS blog along with the comments - some of which are hilarious.